Direction indicator



July 1 923.

A. BUTTER DIRECTION INDICATOR v Filed July 201 i Patented July 3, l19223.

ADoLr BUTTER.,v or cLIrToN, NEW Yorur.'`

DIRECTION INDICATOR.

Application filed huyen, 1922.A serial wutvesa. f f

To aZZfwLomz't may concern; chamber ofthe intermediate shell vAt? Be it known that I, ADoLF BUTTER, a citizen of the United States, residing `at Clifton, in the county of Richmond and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful lmprovevments in Direction Indicators, of which the following `is a specification. f

rThis invention relates to automobile signals and has for its main object, the provision of a device which telescopes inward or outward as occasion may require much after the fashion ofa persons hand willin notifying cars following that a change of direction is to be made.' v

Another object is to provide a signal device which will automatically close an elec-l trical circuit andy illuminate a star at the outermost extremity of the device.

Still another object is to provide a signal which -willftelescope out of -the way when the actuating pressure isreleased.

These vand other objects will become apparent inthe description below, in which characters of reference will refer to the likenamed parts in the drawing.

Referring briefly to the drawing, Figure 1` represents a transverse sectional View of the device in extended position.

Figure 2 is a side elevationv view showing.A

the device in the telescoped position.v

Figure 3 is an enlarged' sectional view illustrating the method of automatically closing the circuit.

Figure 4 is an end elevational view of the sheave wheel with the cover plate. v

Figure 5 is al cross-sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1 and illustrates the method of an anchoring the current carrying wire to a shell.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral 10 indicates the side wall of an automobile-body to the outside surface of which is secured by the bolts 11 an annular shell l2 which has an internal flange 13 formed to the other end. A smaller shell 15 having external 14, and internal flanges 16 formed 'thereto at its opposite ends is adapted to slide within the shell 12 and telescope into the chamber of the latter. Flange 18 of shell 12 and flange 14 of shell l5 form stop members and `also contacters for closing an electrical circuit the constructionof the latter will ybe more fully hereinafter described.

Similarly a shell 18 having an external flange 17, is adapted to telescope into the lvided for actuating the device.

the outermost end of the shell 18 a socket 19' is located andjhas an annular casingv 20 p formed therewithin `which is mounted1 at the opposite edges convexlenses 22, the sur,- lraces of said' lenses Ahaving an outlineof a star formed thereon by paintingthe bach i. i kground 22black. i

Separating wall `23 of follows a downward course and is secured to the periphery ofthe "grooved -sheave wheel'27. l

thesocketlQ has se- An expansion coil spring 28 is adapted .l I

urge the telescoping shell-s 12,15 and 18, into I extended position.

The socket 19 has secured' thereto adust' tube 29 which has a tube 30"slidably mount'- ed on its periphery'the'latter-tube sliding into the-fixed tube 81. Itis apparent from Figure lthat'asfthedeviceds extended bythe spring 28 or retracted, 'both the internal shells and the outside tube members will be simultaneously extended or `retracted the tubes 29, 30 and 31 merely forming a `dust cap forvthe device. v i y The sheave wheel 27 is preferably rotatably mounted on a studsecured to the autosoji mobile-body member 10. A handle32 having a spring clip catch 33 secured thereto, 1s formed to thesheave wheel 27 and ispro- Contact platesv 36 and 36 separatedv byl i the gap 37 and insulated from body 10,y and secured to the wall 10 of the latter,v are adapted to keep'the entire vdevice in open circuit, and retracted as-illustrated in Figj ure 2. The handle will find itself in th end ofthe slot indicated at 35.

A thin casing 34 is fitted over the sheave and all other exposed parts, and has a radial handle 32 is engaged. f v

When handle spring clip is vdepressed and disengaged from the 'notch at end 35 of the slot 35, the entire system of shells and tubes will be extended outwardly fby theI actionof coil spring 28. Asthe handle arrives at the opposite end of slot 35,a contact plate y,` slot 35 therein-1n which the lower end of the 88 insulated from and secured to sheav'e wheel 27 directly beneath the .handle bridges the gap '37 between contact plates 86 and 38 thereby closing the circuit inthewiresy 44 i and 45 energizing the line to the Vflange vious from Figures 1 and 3, that, when the of shellll2. V

Electrical contact thru the several shells is made by the small bolts secured to thel internal flanges 13, 16 and 14, 17, respectively, by, the threaded nuts 41. rllhe bolts 40 are electrically insulated from the. said flanges by the insulating collar 89. It is obtube device is extended each pair of bolts 40, being'aligned with eachother, will have their heads contact with each other, thereby closing the circuitthrough the shells s1- multaneously, as the same function takesl place simultaneously thruout the several shells, the Wire 43 connecting eachv shell to the adjacent one. f

It isreadily apparent that as the device 1s fully extended, a complete circuit is automatically made, and by which the filament lamp '46 is energized, thus givinga visible signal 'to vehicles inthe rear of a change of direction.

Rotating the A'handle in the'direction (indicated by the arrow) will retract the several shells, thereby7V opening` the circuit in various places, and retensioning the spring for use at the next successive period.

l-'claimz 1. An automobile signal of the class described comprising a plurality of shell mehr bers having external and internal flanges formed at their ends and adapted to telescope one Within the other, the largest shell being adapted to be anchored -to the automobile-body, the smallest shell having a f casing and 'a pair of convex lenses and a filament lamp secured thereto, a plurality of telescoping tube members secured to the largest and smallest shell member and adapted to telescope in" unison With the shell members, an expansion coil spring retained iny the chamber formed ,by the shell and tube i lmembers and adapted to 'yieldably keepfthe shells in` extended position, means 'for releasably telescoping the shells one within the otherand means for `energizing the filament lamp. l f

2. An automobile signal of the classdef scribed comprising' a plurality of shell members adapted totelescope one Within the other, a

similar series of tubes adapted toy telescope into each other land mounted out--` side of the said shell members, a spring;

adapted to urge the shells into extended position, external and internal flanges formed to the'ends of vthe saidk shell members, a pair of lbolts secured to each of the said flanges,` current carrying Wires connecting' said bolts, bolt heads' in one shell flange adapted to contact with the bolt heads located on the adjacent flange, means 

